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I think my Cavalier have SM/CM

Hello Everyone,

Chuckie is 2.5 years old and I believe he is starting to show signs of SM. I started noticing him "air scratching" very early on, at just a few months old. Currently, he does not yelp/scream on a daily basis, but when he does, it is frightening. I know he is not injured otherwise, because he can be sitting with me, calmly on the couch, and out of nowhere he will scream/yelp and then look scared. I also started to notice the past two weeks he has been hiding under furniture. He also hates his ears touched, as I think they are sensitive. And rubs his head on the carpet alot.

The last time he had a bad screaming episode we rushed him to the vet. But, they thought it was his knees (luxating patellas) that caused him pain and not SM/CM. They cannot confirm it is SM/CM without an MRI but to get one done is a few thousand dollars and sadly money we don't have right now.

Are any of your cavaliers on medication that seems to help alleviate some of the pain? Hearing him scream in pain is truly heartbreaking.

Our Bentley started that horrible screaming when he was less than 1 year old. The vet immediately diagnosed luxating patella, referred us to a surgeon, and the surgery was done shortly after. He had no more problems with yelping until early this year after he was 3 years old. This time he was diagnosed with all the SM-related stuff. We've spent more $ on him in 3 years than we did our 3 human children as they were growing up in the 60s & 70s.

The last time he had a bad screaming episode we rushed him to the vet. But, they thought it was his knees (luxating patellas) that caused him pain and not SM/CM. They cannot confirm it is SM/CM without an MRI but to get one done is a few thousand dollars and sadly money we don't have right now.

Your vet should be able to diagnose luxating patellas with a strong degree of confidence. I would rule out the patellas first. A slipped knee can cause screaming, and my CKC has always hated having his ears touched since he was a pup (and does not have SM/CM). Maybe it is not SM/CM?

Thank you both for responding. We got a second opinion on his knees, and were told Chuckie's luxating patellas are Grade 2 (minor). I think our next step is to consult with a neurologist to rule out SM/CM.